While most families were eating their Thanksgiving dinners last week, twenty shelter dogs in Georgia received the vacation of a lifetime.
Lifeline Animal Project started the “Home for the Pawildays” program which runs in shelters around Atlanta. During Thanksgiving, 20 dogs were given the chance to be “special guests in people’s homes” for a week, Karen Hirsch told Today. The nonprofit organization gave those families willing to open their homes to the pets food and supplies. This short-term foster program is to help the animals receive a break from being in the shelters.
Karen also noted in an email to HuffPost, “We choose the dogs who had either been at the shelter the longest or who needed to break from the stress of the shelter the most. All the dogs we chose are good candidates because they adore people.”
One woman, who was the recipient of one of the foster dogs, revealed on Instagram that she fostered a dog named Zeus. She boasted that she didn’t hear him bark, but noted he loves toys, cookies, and other dogs. Though he was shy at their family home at first, quality time spent on the couch helped to bring his true personality out.
The Lifeline Animal Project suspects that a few of the dogs may be adopted in the future. Since the program was a success, they are hoping to grow the trend of short-term fostering. Not only will this help people understand what it is like to own a dog, but it will also help the animal de-stress from being in the shelter.
If you are looking for short-term foster opportunities, please call your local animal shelter in order to inquire about possibilities. You never know, you may just find your new family member!
Sarah is a Hufflepuff living in NYC. When she is not traveling or talking to random animals, she is working as a script writer. Tweet her at @lumpyspacederp